Sparks Fly
by HMSSparky
Summary: When all else is gone, friendship will prevail.
1. A Jolt Awake

**Chapter One – A Jolt Awake**

**Natalie**

"_Til the end I will be with you, we will go where our dreams come true, all the times that we have been through, you will always be my best friend."_

It was such a peaceful morning, lazing about on the grass while the sun shone brightly and a soft breeze made it that little bit more wonderful. I was lying on my stomach, my eyes closed and resting my head on my arms. I heard soft chatter from my two friends, Dash and Alex. A smile spread across my lips. I felt a gentle poke on my back and I opened one eye to see who it was. I saw Alex smiling broadly, holding an apple in her hands, it was a big apple and she had small hands.

"I got this for you. Well Dash did but I spotted it." She set it down next to my face and sat beside me, kneading her soft tail with her paws. She was such a sweet little Eevee with big green eyes, it made me hate her parents even more for abandoning her, I'd never met them and I'm glad of it.

"Thank you, it looks delicious, why don't you have half?" I offered, sitting upright and splitting the apple in two. Dash walked over to us, his fur glowed in the sunlight. Alex immediately turned her attention to his big puffy tail; he was a Flareon, with the softest and warmest fur of all Eeveelutions. I munched on my section of apple and watched Alex attempt to break her section in half so she could share it with Dash. They both had a go at it and were both hopeless. I took it off them and broke it for them. They both blushed with embarrassment.

"So where are we setting up camp tonight?" Dash asked with a mouthful of apple. I shrugged and looked down at the floor. The night prior we had been forced out of our home by a Marshtomp with two baby Mudkips. We couldn't fight back; it could easily beat us so we gave up quietly and went out in the dead of night, something we'd always hoped we'd never have to do especially with Alex.

"Can we stay near here?" Alex asked, resting her head on Dash's tail, giggling as it tickled her. We were like a family but we were just friends. Dash and I had been friends for a long time and we decided when we were old enough to live together. As young children we'd promised it but I'd never taken it too seriously, most Pokémon didn't live together just as friends. Others did often wonder if there was anything shady going on but there never was, taking Alex in helped a lot.

She had been abandoned by her parents at only a few years old so we took it upon ourselves to look after her. It was mainly Dash's decision, he had a fondness for cute things. I normally didn't like babies, especially my little brother but Alex was very different. She was so quiet and easy to take care of, I sometimes still wonder why her parents would want to get rid of her.

"Natty? How about we go look for somewhere to stay?" Dash waved his paw in front of my face. I nodded instinctively though I hadn't quite taken in what he'd said. We got up and started wandering around looking for somewhere suitable. Alex raced ahead, looking in every nook and cranny for somewhere we could make a home. We lost her a couple of times but then we saw her head pop up and she would yell out what it was like.

"This could take ages, I'm starving as well. Can we stop and have some proper food?" I whined, sitting down stretching out my limbs. I wasn't fluffy, I was jagged and rough. A Jolteon, that's what I am. Not at all cuddly or warm. Dash went off to get Alex and brought her back to where I was sitting and then went to gather some food.

"When we've eaten I've got to show you the place I just found, it's going to be the best home ever." Alex grinned. I looked up at the sky and the position of the sun, it was late afternoon now. I hoped this home was good, we didn't have much more time until it got dark. Bad Pokémon were out in the dark. Dash finally came back with some food, mainly assorted fruit and a few fish. Alex ran off to gather sticks to make a fire with.

"Alex says she's found us a place." I mentioned as Dash started sorting food into portions for each of us and Alex came running back with various sticks and logs and arranged them. Dash blew gentle flames onto them and a small fire started. We cooked the fish on top of it and ate the fruit while we waited. We were always rather quite as we ate, making the occasional comment on how good the food tasted. We ate the fish when it finished cooking and extinguished the fire as best we could and Alex led us to the place she'd found.

And it was good. It was a large tree with a small gap that we could all fit through but larger Pokémon couldn't and it was surprisingly spacious inside. Not as big as our last home but it was cosy. We blocked the front entrance with a large log. Alex was asleep quickly once she had settled down, using her tail as a pillow. This was the only bit of privacy Dash and I had but we had to speak quietly.

"This is lovely. And hopefully won't be stolen anytime soon." Dash commented. I made a small noise of agreement. "The home we planned out was much grander than this, we wanted a tree complex with all sorts of rooms. We wanted swimming pools and zip wires."

"We wanted our own rooms, we designed them specifically. You had a massive comfy bed that you would literally jump into every night and a bouncy castle and a ball pit." I reminisced. I wanted the exact same room but he never got what I was hinting at. He was lovely but terribly naive and innocent.

"I still want that, all of it but it would feel so empty. This is much better." He smiled warmly, it made me smile as well. He was so right. We could plan out the most extravagant home possible but it wouldn't be as good as being able to spend so much time together, enjoying the simple things.

Then there was a sudden flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder. Alex was bolt upright and scrabbled across the floor to us. She squashed in between us, nuzzling into Dash's fur and gripping my paw tightly.

"Don't worry, it will be okay." I whispered to Alex. I was trying to be reassuring but as the faint smell of smoke wafted into our little home I jumped up to investigate. I move the log slightly and peered out, a fire had started and the rain had stopped.

"What is it Natty?" Dash asked worriedly. I hauled Alex up onto my back and pushed the log out of the way of the entrance and then he saw what it was. I told Alex to hold on tightly and the two of us hurriedly ran in the opposite direction of the fire. We got lost repeatedly in the forest, seemingly running closer to the fire no matter which direction we ran in. The smoke was thick, I could barely see. Dash took Alex off me and we continued to run aimlessly. Then I ran into something hard, head first. I couldn't hold on. The world got darker and the last thing I saw was Dash's concerned face. I managed to spit out one last word.

"Run."


	2. A Burning Taste

**Chapter Two – A Burning Taste**

**Dash**

"_Together forever, no matter how long, from now until the end of time."_

I wasn't going to do what Natalie had asked me. There was no chance in hell I would ever leave her to die on her own. I looked up at what she'd run into. It was a Blastoise. I only just noticed that there were many large water Pokémon all helping to put out the fire.

"Excuse me, help me please." I shouted up to them. They turned around, a worried look on their face. I was so glad there were still some nice Pokémon left on this world.

"Please help her." Alex said, she was holding onto me tightly. The Blastoise gently prodded Natalie but she didn't move.

"Come with me." The Blastoise picked Natalie up and let me ride on their shoulder, holding onto one of the cannons, which I was thankful for, I was exhausted after all that running. I only realised I was crying when Alex reached out a paw and wiped them away. She was being a lot braver than me. We arrived at a field which had beds spread out across it. It was a hospital.

"Hey, just set the patient on any bed. We'll be with them in a second." A Chansey rushed up to us, said and then rushed off again. I thanked the Blastoise profusely before they left and that left Alex and I to wait beside Natalie. I looked around, there were a lot of injured and sick Pokémon. I felt slightly uncomfortable but Alex seemed fascinated.

"Dash, can I go explore?" She asked, a big smile on her face. Her fur was blackened from the smoke but she always looked adorable, especially when she didn't understand what was going on.

"Go on then. Don't disturb anyone though." I told her and she raced off to the very end of the area so she was only a little dot on the horizon. The same Chansey rushed over to us and asked me some questions about what happened.

"She'll be fine, just a little a bump on her head and let her get some rest when she's woken up." The Chansey informed me. I nodded, unable to speak properly. I was prepared for the worst but she would be okay. We'd have to find a new home but that wasn't the most important thing. I just sat there waiting. I occasionally looked around to make sure Alex was okay, which she was. She was helping to cheer up other Pokémon waiting with their injured friends or family.

"Dash? Where are we?" Natalie said sleepily. My head whipped round to look at her. She was awake.

"We're at a hospital. Don't worry, you're going to be fine. Wait here while I go get Alex." I looked around for her and spotted her with a family of Marill. I ran over to her and told her that Natalie was awake and okay. She immediately stopped whatever she was doing and ran over to her, me following behind. Alex hopped onto the bed with Natalie and nuzzled up to her. I decided not to spoil the moment by mentioning that we had to leave that night. But I didn't have to worry because Natalie did it herself.

"Where are we going tonight then?" She asked. I chewed my lower lip nervously. Then I had an idea.

"I'll go look for one now, you and Alex stay here and I'll report back as soon as I've found one." I suggested. I didn't leave them time to disagree before I was up and off looking around. It was a rather quiet area, not as good as the last one but it's not as if we had much choice. I wanted to stay away from forests but not be in an open area. A small cave would be our best choice.

I was looking for a long time but it was only early afternoon. It was odd to think all that had happened this morning. I shook my head to try and forget about it. I enjoyed the relative silence of the area I was in, I could only hear my footsteps and the buzz of bug Pokémon. I eventually found a small cave. It was a very small one but we could all fit inside it and it wasn't too close to a forest or an open area. I made a mental note of where it was and tried to retrace my steps to get back to Alex and Natalie.

I kept getting lost and a part of me was doing it on purpose so I could enjoy the area on my own but I did find my way back just as the sun was about to set. The two were fine and playing some sort of clapping game.

"Did you find us somewhere?" Alex asked excitedly but not removing her concentration from what she and Natalie were doing.

"Yep. I think you're going to like it." I said proudly. The two finished their game and then I led them to the place. Natalie was much better but we still walked slowly. Alex kept complaining that she was hungry so we stopped for food, I gathered a few berries and apples and we sat and ate quietly. Alex ate her food like it was the first thing she'd eaten in days but Natalie just picked at hers.

"Are you not hungry?" I asked Natalie, slightly concerned. She just shrugged and I accepted that answer, deciding it was not a great time. Alex and I ate the rest of Natalie's food and we carried on walking. Alex stuck close to the two of us if any bug Pokémon came near. They were harmless, mainly Butterfree and Beautifly. I spotted the cave I'd picked out and ran towards, the other two running behind me, even Natalie. But as I got closer I noticed there was someone already in there.

"Maybe we'd better go elsewhere." Alex suggested. It was getting dark now. We couldn't afford to go anywhere else. I stepped closer and cleared my throat. The Pokémon inside the cave stepped out into the light. I could breathe better knowing that they were a Glaceon.

"Can I help you?" The Glaceon asked.

"It's just, I found that cave earlier today and there was no one in it and I thought it would make a good home for me and my two friends, but I see it's yours. But the thing is we've got nowhere to go and..." I rambled on. The Glaceon cut me off thankfully.

"There's plenty of room to share. I'm Diamond, by the way. Care to give me your names?" Her voice softened and we all crammed inside the cave. There wasn't plenty of room, but enough for us to be inside it and somewhat comfortable.

"I'm Natalie, this little fuzzball is Alex and the bumbling goof is Dash." Natalie introduced us all to Diamond. Alex was staring intently at Diamond. I don't think she'd ever seen a Glaceon before. We all settled down then, forgetting or not bothering to block the entrance. Natalie and Alex were asleep quickly, tired out after the day's events. I turned towards Diamond who was next to me. She was still awake.

"Are you guys a family?" She asked me in a whisper. It was one of the most common questions we got a lot; we looked like one but didn't really act like one at times.

"Just friends." I replied. It didn't seem like quite the right way to describe us. We were way more than just friends; we were a family. Just not technically. But I couldn't figure out how to put it into words. Or tell it to a complete stranger.

"That's good." She said and turned her back to me. I didn't think much of it at the time but while I was lying awake at night I tried to work out what she meant by it. But I left it alone. It wasn't what I needed to be worrying about. The darkness only a few feet away scared me but the occasional crackle of electricity from Natalie helped light things up and reassure me about what was outside. She had always been my little night light. I don't know what I'd do without her.


	3. Electric Past

**Chapter 3 – Electric Past**

**Natalie**

"_I close my eyes and I can see the day we met just one moment and I knew, you're my best friend, do anything for you."_

**2 Years Earlier**

We laughed together as we rolled down the hill. Dash had challenged me to a race to the bottom. I won and lay there, basking in the sun as he rolled down, he had several flowers caught in his fur and was scraping grass out of his mouth.

"I won, so what's my prize?" I stood up triumphantly. We hadn't agreed on a prize, or even the competition itself, he just suddenly dared me to do it and I don't like backing down from dares, especially from him.

"You can have the most food tonight." He offered. I shook my head. We had agreed to be complete equals and share fairly. We decided to stay where we were for a while and enjoy the warm weather. It was so calm. We hadn't long set out on our own together and we'd only just left the towns and were now in the wilderness, where there were no rules and no one to boss around.

After some time, I wasn't keeping track, Dash stood up and was staring intently at something in the distance. I furrowed my brow. He never normally looked so serious. He then started to walk towards whatever he was staring at and I followed after him, a few paces behind. I finally saw what he had, a young Eevee, looking more confused than anything. He approached them and they looked up and amidst all the confusion, I saw fear in her eyes.

"Hello, what's your name?" Dash said softly. He was brilliant with children, being like one himself. He rarely lost his temper and knew what to say at the right time. He slipped up a lot with those older than him, like me sometimes.

"I'm Alex." Her face relaxed and she smiled at Dash. I didn't usually like children but she was very cute.

"Are you on your own?" I spoke up and asked.

"I-I don't know. A minute ago I was with my mother and now I'm in a field." Alex told us. I've no idea why but I liked her. She had an essence of mystery around her which intrigued me.

"Are you hungry?" Dash asked. She nodded and I did instinctively. We went towards a large clump of berry bushes and Dash went off to forage while I kept Alex company. She looked up at me and her eyes suddenly widened.

"She abandoned me. My mother abandoned me. S-she said I wasn't good enough so she'd just give me away and try again." She suddenly said. She was oddly calm about it. At least we now had a reason for why she was on her own. Dash returned with an assortment of berries and we all sat and ate quietly. It was mid afternoon by that point so we still had a few hours before having to return home. Our current home was a pre-dug tunnel by some other Pokémon.

"Let's do something." Alex said cheerily. She suddenly jumped on top of Dash's tail and giggled. She must've thought I felt left out because she jumped on my back and rubbed her cheek in my fur. I knew what we had to do and what I wanted to do.

"Alex, would you like to stay with us?" I said. She froze for a minute and slid off my back and onto the floor. She looked at the two of us and tilted her head and then smiled.

"I would love it." She said. We started to walk back to our home then but at a slow pace so it would be getting dark by the time we got back. The sunset looked beautiful as it always did. We went into our little home and blocked up the entrance with various things. Dash blew gentle flames onto some sticks we had set up before to start small fire to keep us warm and provide light.

"What are your names?" Alex asked us, realising then she didn't actually know.

"I'm Dash and this is Natalie. We're just friends by the way." Dash introduced us. Alex then settled down, using Dash's tail as a pillow. She was asleep very quickly and so was Dash. I stayed awake though, it would be interesting having Alex with us. But now that I was thinking, I had thought of some reasons why I didn't want her with us. Dash and I could only really be friends with her around, there wouldn't be time for anything else. But I'd made my decision and I was going to make the best of what I had.

**Author's Comments:**

**This chapter has a reason, mainly to clear a few things up and I needed to do that. This has taken longer to come out due to me having my mock exams for maths and it's why this is slightly shorter. I'll be able to do longer chapters at the weekend though. Thanks for reading.**


	4. A Dying Flame

**Chapter 4 – A Dying Flame**

**Dash**

"_The time has come, it's for the best I know it. Who could've guessed that you and I, somehow, someday would have to say goodbye."_

I was awoken by Alex stepping on my face. It wasn't uncommon, if she woke up before any of us she would walk around and "accidently" step on us to wake us up. I reluctantly opened my eyes and adjusted to the sudden light. I heard Diamond talking softly to Alex but I wasn't really concentrating on what they were saying. I looked over at Natalie who was still sleeping. I gently nudged her with my paw and a smile spread across her lips before she opened her eyes.

"Morning, I'm hungry." Natalie said and sat up as did I. Alex's head turned at the notion of food. Diamond laughed softly.

"I'm going to a nearby town today, want to come with me?" Diamond offered. We hadn't been to a town for ages, it was one of our agreements to live on the outskirts and never return to a town ever again. But it might be good. Alex had never been to a town as far as we knew and it would be nice to eat something other than fruit for a change.

"We've got nothing better to do." I spoke for all of us. We set out immediately; Alex skipped ahead but then ran back to us because she didn't know where we were going. The town soon came into view. Natalie walked close to me as we got nearer, I looked at her and she looked scared.

"Are you lot getting anything?" Diamond asked us. I wanted to get something but we didn't have any money. We'd never needed it. Alex was in awe at all of the buildings and Pokémon. Every time someone walked past us she looked as if she could ask them a thousand questions. There was a market place in the main square where Diamond spent a lot of time looking and buying various things like scarves and bows and berries.

"What's all this for?" Alex said. Diamond was putting all her things inside a bag she'd just bought that she tied around her waist and rested it on her back.

"I'm in a rescue team. I got lost last night and all my stuff was stolen." She explained to us. I stared at her. I wanted to be in a rescue team when I was little but I was too worried about getting hurt. She decided to have some food and invited us to join her. It was proper food as well which Alex ate within a few minutes. Natalie barely ate anything. She was pressed up against me, keeping her head down.

"I think we'd better be going." I suggested. Diamond walked with us, answering all of Alex's questions. I would've loved to have listened to them and asked my own questions but I was too busy worrying about Natalie. Then someone suddenly shouted her name. She couldn't have been closer to me at that point.

"Natalie, it is you and don't bother trying to hide." They stormed over to us. They were a Vaporeon. And Natalie's mother. Alex was standing close to me now, afraid of this stranger.

"Hello, Jade, h-how can we help?" I stammered and forced a smile to seem friendly. She was anything but that.

"What were you two thinking? Running off on your own like that and not telling us? You could've been dead for all we knew. And who's this? Is she your daughter?" She sounded horrified; Alex buried her face in my fur.

"She's our friend, mother." Natalie looked up and said quietly. Diamond stood next to me somewhat protectively.

"I don't care. Natalie you're coming with me. Now. And you're in big trouble." Jade kept her voice low but that was even scarier.

"No I'm not." Natalie said calmly. Her mother erupted.

"You don't have a choice. I'm your mother and you are never leaving again. You need to help support your family now you're old enough." She yelled. Alex gave a small sob and Natalie lost all her composure. Surprisingly Diamond stepped in.

"If I may interject, Natalie is old enough to do what she wants now. You have no control of her." Diamond said firmly. Jade wasn't having some "hussy", as she put it, boss her around.

"And you. I don't care what you do. I don't want you near my daughter ever again. Oh, I know what's going on. Two girls, a child, you disgust me." Jade turned her aggression towards me. I couldn't find any words to fight back. I didn't have to. Alex did it for me.

"Don't you dare say that about Dash. He's the most wonderful and amazing Pokémon ever. He would never be like that. They're just friends and I'm not his child." Alex yelled back. Jade was about to snap any moment now.

"Come with me Natalie. Now." Jade said through gritted teeth. Natalie didn't argue. She walked to her mother's side. I felt my heart break in two.

"Don't cry, I hate it when you cry." Natalie told me even though she was crying.

"Natalie... please." Alex's voice cracked. This couldn't be happening. This was my worst nightmare. I would wake up soon and see Natalie next to me, asleep, smiling. But it was real. I could never imagine these feelings. Natalie walked up to me and rubbed her cheek against mine, whispering in my ear.

"Don't worry. I..." She didn't finish what she was going to say. She was crying too much. So was I. I didn't say everything I wanted to. Not in front of everyone. Not while she was going, it would just make things worse.

And then she was gone. Walking off into the distance. I didn't know what to do. Alex was crying, Diamond was trying to comfort her and I was standing there. I was nothing now. I couldn't be me without her. I needed her.

**Aw, that was kind of sad. Anyway, a couple of things I think I should clarify. One thing is their ages, I imagine Alex to be about twelve, she's just very childish. Dash and Natalie I would think to be in their late teens to mid twenties, somewhere around there. And this is set in the Mystery Dungeon universe though I won't reference it much. Thanks for reading.**


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